Experiment 1
by audra-accalia
Summary: 2:: This is the next part following "Becoming a Death Eater". Knowing that Audra is a werewolf, Voldemort has a potion made to 'keep a werewolf in the human mind'. And Audra is the guinea pig...
1. Chapter 1: Bad Idea

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor any of the characters... except Audra.

Four months had passed since Audra's forced servitude had begun. For the most part, Audra had played her part well as the meek slave. For the Death Eaters, she kept up the charade of the broken, demoralized mudblood who flinched at the sight of a wand, lest she wanted a painful reminder of its power. In private with Voldemort, however, she dropped the act and instead played the part of the determined and faithful follower. As she had explained, it would have been an insult to His intelligence if she played Him for the same fool as His followers.

Voldemort had grown used to her presence, allowing her to remain in the same room as Him except for private meetings. For those, she was dismissed, during which time she would attempt to explore the house before a Death Eater discovered her and punished her. The grumblings of Voldemort's followers at her existence had begun to become silenced, though they would punish her for breathing too loudly at any chance they got. However, as Amber predicted, Voldemort was incredibly protective of His property, and would severely punish anyone He caught hurting His pet. Although she hated the need for protection, she did so enjoy smirking from behind her protector's back.

On full moon nights Audra would be released from her cell early to make dinner. After preparing everything so that He could function without her, Audra would go to Voldemort and request leave for the night. After Voldemort would grant her request, He would remove her shackles and allow Audra to exit the house to run free in the woods. His only request was that she didn't attack any human unless she intended to kill; a request she willingly followed, though she stayed far from humans. At the crack of dawn, Voldemort would open the back door, where a white wolf would be patiently waiting to be let inside. Upon walking in the house, Audra would willingly shift to human form and shackle herself before returning to her cell. It was only her obedience and willingness to return to slavery that kept Voldemort from keeping her locked up; every time Audra was waiting for the door reinforced the fact that she could be trusted.

Like every full moon before, Audra let herself out of her cell before five and made her way to the kitchen. Like clockwork she moved through the kitchen, cooking and cleaning all the while humming to herself. She prepared a pot roast, which could be left in the oven until dinner was ready to be served. Quickly, she jotted down a list of instructions on what to finish with the roast, and then headed up stairs to Voldemort's study.

Standing outside the door, she knocked quietly and waited for a reply. "Enter," a chilly voice called from the other side. Silently, Audra obeyed. "Ah, mudblood, glad to see you've finally made it," Voldemort acknowledged her as she quickly kneeled in front of Him.

"Master, I request leave for the night," Audra said from one knee. Normally, she would look up at Him when saying this, but she had noticed another Death Eater in the room when she walked in; another Death Eater equals meek slave.

Voldemort thought a long moment before replying. "Not tonight, mudblood. Not tonight."

Meek slave or not, Audra lifted her head to look at her master. "Master, it's a full moon tonight –"

"A fact I am well aware of," Voldemort cut her off. "I have been following the lunar charts just as shrewdly as you have. Follow me," He instructed as He stood and swept past Audra. Curious and slightly taken aback, Audra did as she was told, walking out between the Dark Lord and the Death Eater.

As if rewinding her first trip to His study, Voldemort led the way from the study, down two flights of stairs, and into the basement where Audra's cell was. However, instead of taking a sharp right, the direction of her prison, He turned left and stopped in front of an open door on the right. Standing to one side, Voldemort allowed Audra to walk in first and survey the scene.

It was another cell, but it was much larger than Audra's personal one. This one was about twenty by ten and was made of the same heavy rock. There were lit torches on the walls in each of the four corners, which casted light over the entire surface of cold gray stone. Off in an opposite corner, there was a low fire with a small caldron suspended over it. The caldron was emitting a thick dark green smoke that smelled of rotten eggs. On the wall tangent to the caldron there was a table with frightening looking instruments, which Audra was certain she would get to know sometime this evening. The most unsettling feature of the room, by far, was the tangled heap of heavy chains and cuffs that were the center point of the floor.

Audra walked a couple paces into the room, and then stood aside to let the unknown man and the Dark Lord past. Although she had a slight idea what He intended to do, she didn't want to say it aloud.

Voldemort shut the door before beginning. "Four months ago, the first full moon you experienced here, I realized that keeping a werewolf here was dangerous. But as you pointed out the next day, I couldn't just release you and yet I had no intention of killing you," He said, looking at Audra. She continued to look at the floor, not wanting to meet His gaze. "Since that night, Snape here," He motioned to the other man in the room, "has been working to develop a potion that would keep a werewolf in the human mind during a forced phase. Tonight, is the first night we try such potion." Voldemort lifted her chin up so that she was looking straight at Him. "And you're the guinea pig," He smiled.

"So you plan to chain me down, wait until I phase, then force a potion down my throat?" Audra asked.

Voldemort let go of Audra's chin before He backhanded her. "You aren't allowed to ask questions," He sneered.

Audra raised her hand to the spot He struck. "My apologizes, Master," she whispered.

Voldemort surveyed the girl before turning His back on her and walking to the other end of the room. "Since you go through this monthly, and I do not, you obviously know more about forced phases than I do," He stated peering into the caldron. "If we have any chance of making this work tonight, then I need to know what to expect. What happens when you normally change?" He asked turning to look at Audra.

"Master, on most nights that I know I'll be changing, I morph into wolf form, so that the shift to dire wolf goes easier. After that, I just continue on my way, giving in to my animal mind and allowing the phase to happen," she shrugged. "It's easier for me if I don't fight it, it just feels natural."

The Dark Lord had watched her body language the entire time she spoke; a habit He learned that had helped immensely in seizing power. The entire time she spoke, Audra showed no signs that she was lying. She had simply stated what He had asked, not making anything up along the way. "Snape," He said turning to face the other man, "how will you administer the potion?"

The greasy-haired man stepped forward from the back wall when he was addressed. "My Lord, there would be faster results if I injected it into the bloodstream," he said, sneering at the slave. "We should see affects within moments after the injection. From there, I can adjust the amount or the concentration as I see fit."

"Good, go ahead and get everything ready then," He instructed, walking back towards Audra. Snape had bowed upon receiving instructions and went to work at the table. Voldemort walked right up to Audra, once again taking her chin and lifting her gaze. "Now listen, Audra," He said in a whisper only she could hear, "We need to make this go as well as possible. I need you to not skew the results with whatever control you personally have. Let go completely – allow the potion to bring you back. Do you understand?" Audra nodded, but Voldemort noticed something else in her eyes – a hint of fear. "It is imperative that we make this work."

"Master, this isn't going to work," Audra confessed. "I don't want to do this." Voldemort could hear the fear in her voice.

"Do you want to be a Death Eater?"

Audra stayed silent, but continued to look at her master with pleading eyes. Sighing, Voldemort let go of her chin and began taking off her wrist shackles. After removing those, He kneeled, placing a hand on her thigh as He did. The contact made Audra flinch, and Voldemort quickly removed His hand and took of her ankle shackles. "When do you phase? What causes it?" He asked standing up.

"Honestly, Master, I don't know. I can assume, however, that contact with the moon helps, since I seem to phase sooner when I'm outside," Audra said rubbing her wrists.

Nodding, Voldemort pointed His wand at the wall opposite the door. A small curtain, which Audra hadn't noticed before, parted revealing a small ground-level window. Light from the fading sun poured in through the small window, casting a thin line of sunset upon the pile of chains. "Go ahead and shift mudblood," He instructed, turning His back on her and walking towards Snape.

Knowing that she had no say in the matter, Audra sighed and shifted into her wolf form. For the past four months, this was the form Audra used to escape her reality. The practical reason was that she had more fur as a wolf, and that cell got pretty cold during those long hours she was locked up. She kept her hair long for more than just a fashion statement; her coat thickness was directly correlated to her human hair length. Although she hated having the long hair, the warm coat paid off on cold nights.

As convenient as the warmth was, it wasn't the only reason Audra was a wolf more often than not. Voldemort and His cronies had done a wonderful job destroying Audra's human image. They chained her, tortured her both mentally and physically, and humiliated her. In their eyes she was no better than a stray that they took pity on, though there wasn't much pity to go around. For Voldemort, Audra kept a strong poker face, not letting Him know that He was succeeding at breaking her.

Her human form made her feel weak and pathetic; it was her wolf self that she was learning to love. A strong, noble beast, the wolf had a history of being feared by man, though there is nothing truly fearful about the creature. The wolf was naturally an aggressive creature, but only when it had to be. Wolves almost always seek the company of fellow wolves, and live their entire lives completely devoted to the pack. Fiercely loyal, wolves would fight to the death for those it protected; a trait Audra personally loved about herself. Changing from man to beast, Audra left behind the weak pathetic human she was becoming and became a strong, confident beast. By changing forms for sleep, she reminded herself that she was better than what she was becoming, and her time would come some day.

Now a full grown wolf with fur the color of snow, Audra tenderly walked to the chains and sniffed them. The cold, metallic scent filled her nose and she recoiled, taking a couple paces back as she flattened her ears back. She wanted to whimper, a canine's natural response to showing fear; but that would be weakness, something she couldn't be now.

Voldemort had heard Audra's nails on the stone floor, and turned now to face the wolf. "You're wondering how exactly we're going to bind you." The wolf looked at Him while He spoke, and immediately attempted to make herself smaller upon hearing His words. Her shoulders were hunched, she had her ears pressed flat, and her tail was tucked under her. _I have never seen her afraid… including when she first came here_ He thought as He surveyed the wolf. "When you become a dire wolf, the chains will act of their own accord and snap into place. You should be fairly stationary once your bound; giving us enough safety to be in the same room. Course, we won't be here when you shift," the Dark Lord supplied as an afterthought. "We'll probably be eating dinner when that's happening.

"And to make sure you don't attempt to run off," He added, waving His wand at the heap of metal. Instantly, they sprang to life, the majority of them just spread around the floor, forming an open circle right in the middle. However, there was one chain that snaked its way across the floor to Audra. Every instinct Audra had was telling her to run, yet she couldn't as a large metal collar fastened itself around her neck. Tension tugged at the collar as the chain connected to it began to shrink, lessening the space between where Audra currently struggled to where the other end was connected to the floor. Horrified, Audra tried to pull back on the chain, an act which not only proved futile but also caused Voldemort to laugh at her struggle. No matter how hard she pulled back, the leashed pulled her tighter and closer, dragging her across the floor. Eventually the chain slackened, allowing Audra only three feet of length from connection point to collar. Acting out of instinct rather than reason, Audra furiously pulled back at the chain, throwing all her weight backwards in an effort to break the links. Voldemort continued to laugh at the show, knowing full well that nothing she did could change it. Giving up, Audra dejectedly laid down on her stomach. Still chuckling, Voldemort strode to where Audra lay and scratched her behind the ears. "Good dog," He snickered. "We'll be back in a couple hours. Hopefully you'll have shifted by then." He motioned for Snape to join Him, and then strode out the door with the apothecary in tow.

Finally alone, Audra let out a long whimper. _This isn't good, this isn't going to work!_ she thought frantically. She knew that this experiment might kill her or them depending on how badly it went. Knowing that she had very little time left, Audra forced herself relax enough to meditate. This proved to be almost impossible; every nerve in her body was frayed beyond all belief. It took several long minutes of intense concentration before Audra could even begin to meditate. Closing her eyes, she reopened them in the luscious forests of Costa Rica. _God damn, this is hot_ she remarked as the hot humid air pushed down upon her winter coat. The forest, sensing an intruder, went silent; not a single creature was within Audra's sight. Knowing that there was no way to tell her friends to meet her here, Audra scratched a message out in the dirt. _Experiment – not good_ was all she had time to write with her paw.

Not wanting to take chances, Audra returned to the plane of reality. Opening her eyes towards the cold stone room, panic once again swept over Audra like a tidal wave. _Stop worrying! You're just going to make yourself sick!_ she scolded herself. Slowly and methodically, she evened her breathing and slowed her heart rate. Eventually she was comfortable enough to close eyes and slip into a dream-less trance.


	2. Chapter 2: Trial

All too soon, Audra was awakened by spasms throughout her muscles. They began to twitch, making way for the increasing muscle fiber being added, as if the cells were going into mitosis overdrive. They rippled, sending waves upon waves of rolling motion from her spine to nails. Her bones creaked as they too grew in order to support the new muscle. Her muzzle became shorter and her bottom jaw receded slightly. Her neck grew in thickness as did her trunk, muscles and tendons clearly defined against her white fur. Her hips tilted slightly, allowing her to stand on her back legs like a human. Her front paws lengthened to resemble very hairy and long human fingers, ending in sharp claws. Her toes too lengthened, more for support since she did not have a heel like her human self did. She continued to grow, until she stood nearly nine feet tall and weighed nearly two hundred pounds. The collar kept her from achieving her true height, and she was forced to remain hunched over with her knuckles supporting her. She gave an almightily tug and the chains broke free. The werewolf growled, drawing up to its full height and looking for any way to escape.

Audra stood there, her animal mind taking in the surroundings and trying to remember why she was here. There was a slithering sound, and she looked around for the source of the noise.

Out of nowhere, chains flew off the ground, cuffs attacking her wrists and ankles. Audra growled, and yanked her wrists away but it was no use; they were captured. In the same motion, the ends of the chains flew in opposite directions; her arms chains were bound to the side walls and her ankle chains sunk into the ground at her feet. They contracted, stretching her limbs to their limits. She couldn't flex her muscles and her arms were at such an angle she couldn't rotate her wrists or elbows. Yet her animal mind told her to fight so she did, tugging with all her strength against her binds, trying to wrench them from the walls. She had no hope of shifting her weight on her feet, the ankle shackles were nearly fused to the ground where she stood. After about five minutes of struggling she gave up, residing to the fact that she was stuck. She turned her head this way and that, looking for any means of aid.

As if sensing her head movements, a fifth shackle flew at her, this time securing itself around her muscular throat. Four chains flew from this cuff and anchored in the center of each of the walls, keeping her head completely still. Audra tried to snap at the chain directly under her chin, and yet another cuff appeared, this time around her muzzle. Chains ran from this, encircling her head under her ears and between her eyes, forming a harness that connected to the back of the collar.

She had no energy left to fight this containment and no prayer of escaping. Growling at her forced submission, the werewolf waited…

A metal door creaked open and Audra's eyes flew open, glaring at the new comers. Voldemort smiled as He looked up at her, a full three feet taller than he was. "My my, you are impressive," He cooed, walking right up to her and admiring her. She growled threateningly as He touched her, tracing her massive tendons lining her esophagus. He could feel the rumble underneath His fingertips, and couldn't help but think that He had just won some wonderful prize. _You are my new trophy,_ He thought, stroking her underneath the chin.

He grabbed her muzzle and pulled down, forcing her to look into His eyes. He preformed Occlumency, looking for any sign of any human mind within her. The animal mind is chaotic, ruled by instinct rather than reason, like the human mind. With Occlumency the human mind has a logical progression of emotion, which is what Voldemort reads (unlike Audra, He cannot physically read thoughts). The animal mind before Him however was a jumble of emotions, with no rhyme or reason connecting them other than primal instincts. The werewolf was feeling fear and anger; it had no idea who He was nor what was going on. "Mudblood," He said; she showed no signs of recognition. "Audra." This time her eyes narrowed and she pulled against the chains. _She still knows her name,_ He noted, _so there is still a small piece of her sanity_.

"My Lord, I am ready to begin," Snape said from behind Audra.

Voldemort released His hold and said "go ahead then," as He backed towards the wall, withdrawing His wand in the process.

Snape approached the werewolf from behind, and she began pulling at her chains, knowing something bad was about to happen. Outside of her sightline, Snape drove the point of the needle deep into her deltoid muscle, injecting the potion into her vein. Audra yelped at the point of impact and pulled harder against her binds. It burned as if it were liquid fire, coursing through her vein on its way to the heart. It reached the organ, and the heart stopped beating momentarily, and then began spasming as the foreign liquid progressed on to the rest of her body. Her lungs ached as those cells received the potion, working double time to attempt to get oxygen to bind to the infected cells. Her muscles twitched violently, screaming for oxygen and reacting to the potion. Her brain responded the worst as the potion infected it. Sharp headaches pinched the organ, and her thoughts grew even more chaotic. She wanted to rip the brain from her skull, to rip His face from His head. She growled, yelped and attempted to pry her jaws apart.

"We'll give it a couple of minutes," Snape said, "see if anything happens." Voldemort nodded, and the two waited for any sign the potion was working. Little did they know the chaos it was causing inside of her…

Twenty minutes passed, and her spasms began to lessen, the cells finally receiving much needed oxygen. She calmed down, her eyes shut and breaths ragged; her limbs went limp, allowing the chains to keep them supported. Seeing that she was finally subdued, Voldemort once again approached her. "Mudblood," He said; once again no response, "Audra," and yet no recognition. He reached out to touch her face. The contact awoke Audra; her eyes flew open, her lips pulled back in a snarl, and she strained against her hold, longing to clamp her jaw down on His throat. Startled, Voldemort yanked His hand back, and retreated to where Snape stood. "Increase the dosage," He ordered Snape. "I want her human."

"As you wish, my Lord," Snape sneered, walking to Audra's other side. This time he didn't do a one to one ratio with water; he filled the syringe completely with potion. He jabbed her in the same spot, and she once again yelped, the spasms returning.

"Audra," the Dark Lord called. She showed no acknowledgement to her name. "Again," Voldemort stated.

"My Lord, she could overdose…" Snape began.

Voldemort cut him off. "I said do it again," He commanded.

"Yes, my Lord." Once again Snape injected her with pure potion. Her body screamed at the abuse, her lungs cells protesting at their inability to deliver oxygen, her muscles cells rioting at not receiving oxygen. Her stomach contracted, the acid churning over like a rough sea. Her body wanted her to double over, but the chains prevented her from doing so. Her knees wobbled, buckling under the weight.

Once again they waited for her to calm before saying her name, looking for comprehension, before increasing the dosage. The cycle continued for three hours, changing in concentration and dosage and wearing on patience. The spasms worsened throughout as her muscles refused to cooperate. Her legs gave way completely so that her wrist and neck shackles were all that held her up. The animal wished for death, but there was a single human thought that wanted to tell them to stop…

"Again," Voldemort ordered. Snape hesitated. Voldemort pointed His wand at the alchemist and repeated, "Again."

"My Lord, I just gave her three in a row without a break," he pleaded. "She's had over twenty doses. I don't think her body can take much more."

"_Crucio!_" Voldemort cried. Snape fell to the floor, writhing and screaming. The Dark Lord waited, and then released the spell. "Do as I command."

"Yes, my Lord," Snape replied meekly. Yet again, he stabbed her with the needle.

The shaking doubled. Blood trickled from her nose and her brain felt as if it were expanding past the holds of the skull. She began to heave, but her jaws were held shut by the muzzle.

"She's going to choke!" Snape realized. Quickly, he undid the muzzle shackle, and her jaws were free. She gave a lurch bringing up blood as her she began to bleed internally. The crimson liquid dripped from her teeth, covering her lips and jaw and added to the puddle at her feet, which the nose bleed had begun.

"Audra!" Voldemort hollered at her. She lifted her eyes to His, trying to plead. _Please, just let me go…_ she thought. As if answering her prayers, the darkness began to fall. The world went in and out of focus as the black haze settled over her. Her last image was Voldemort right in front of her face, trying to rouse her. The world faded to black and her mind gave in to unconscious's embrace.


	3. Chapter 3: Accalia

She was warm. _Odd… I didn't expect Death to be warm_. She felt as if she was lying on clouds, it was so soft and warm, as if the sun was just overhead, gently heating her as she slept. _Am I in Heaven?_ She wondered. _No wait, I can't be in Heaven… I'm not a good person, I've killed_ she reasoned. But it didn't feel like Hell, after all her image of Hell was cold unfeeling ice. _Unless I'm in the heretics' circle, because I don't believe in an Afterlife_. But weren't flames supposed to feel different? She didn't want to open her eyes, in fear that she in fact was in Hell. She wanted to stop thinking, to just drift back off into sleep.

Reluctantly Audra opened her eyes. What she saw was neither Heaven nor Hell; it was a sliver of warm red light peaking through a gap in heavily draped curtains. She waited for her eyes to focus, unconsciously noting that the curtains were thick dark velvet green with fine silver embroidery. There were two floor-to-ceiling windows, with a dark stained bookcase in between. Heavy leather bound books lined the shelves, along with a couple of interesting looking objects, from the looks of it there was a ring, golden goblet, and silver locket. She watched as the sun sank lower, threatening to sink below the horizon. She watched, waiting… and then she saw it: the fabled green flash as the last particles of visible light fought their way through the atmosphere. _Tonight will be a good night_ Audra thought; that green flash always let her know that.

Looking next to her, there was a night stand also dark stained with a silver handle on the drawer. On top of the stand was a single candle, which was lit. Audra continued looking up, noting that the headboard was made of the same dark wood, with poles reaching up to support the velvet canopy above her. The pillow under her head was soft, made of down feathers, as was the mattress topper and comforter. The sheets were black satin and felt wonderful against Audra's bare body. She sighed, wanting nothing more than to remain where she was for the rest of her life.

"You're awake," a voice said from the foot of the bed. Startled, Audra quickly sat up and looked around, clutching the sheets to her chest. Pain shot through her body and she quickly regretted moving. "Lie back down, you're still healing," the Dark Lord said, walking to the side of the bed she was on.

Audra opened her mouth to speak, and found her throat sore. She took a risk; [_I need water_] she mind-flashed at Voldemort.

Mind-flashing was a technique that she, Lindsey, Gina and Amber developed. Because the four girls were literally each a quarter of the same soul, they found nonverbal communication easily achievable. They dubbed it mind-flashing, since they were projecting or "flashing" thoughts into each other's mind. Because they could all project, conversations were easy and foolproof against eavesdropping. The trick came when they wanted to mind-flash someone else. They could easily project into other's minds; the tricky part was receiving the comment back. It took years of concentration, learning the theory of Occlumency, meditation, and developing one's own inner eye. Gina was the first to achieve it, and thus could read people's thought (the break through happened when she became a vampire; that race was characteristic of mental powers, especially her lineage). Audra, Lindsey and Amber weren't too far behind Gina, though the three of them could only read the thoughts that the subject was thinking at that minute. It was like the thoughts were words floating in space, and while they could see the other ones, they couldn't read them; only the sentences in the foreground were sharp enough to read. Lily was the willing subject and thus the first one to achieve mind-flashing other than them. While Lily couldn't project, she thought her response and the other's could read, or really hear, it. Eventually James, Sirius and Remus joined in on the fun; Peter never could get the hang of keeping his response separate from the rest of his thoughts (Gina had fun prying through his mind), so they spoke aloud for him. Now she attempted mind-flashing with Voldemort, which could either be really good or really bad.

Voldemort stared, as if a brick wall had just materialized in front of Him and He had accidently run into it. _Did I just hear her voice… in my head?..._ He questioned.

Audra was listening in on His thoughts. [_Yes, you did just hear my voice in your head,_] she said. [_And yes I am reading your thoughts,_] she confirmed before He asked.

The look on His face was the most intriguing mix of emotions Audra had ever seen: surprise, anger, curiosity and loathing all blended into one. None the less, He conjured a glass and filled it with water before handing it to her. She gingerly sat up, taking care to not move too fast, and accepted the drink while clutching the sheet with her other hand. She quickly gulped down the liquid, welcoming the burning sensation against her raw throat. Her voice was hoarse as she whispered "Thank you, Master."

"What is it that you just did?" He stated it as a question, though His tone implied that it was an order.

"I…" she coughed. The glass was empty but Voldemort refilled it, waiting for a response. She brought the cup to her lips, while flashing [_It's called mind-flashing. Essentially, I'm projecting my thoughts into your head. And I can use a combination of Occlumency and Divination to read your thoughts._] She had tried to keep the explanation short, afraid that He'd ask too many questions.

"Are you the only one who can do this?" He asked.

[_As far as I know, yes. I think it's because I'm a werewolf that this was even possible_] she lied.

"Have you ever read my thoughts before?" He was twiddling His wand in His long fingers.

[_Master, not before this moment, no. I can't just do it from a standstill; I have to basically open your mind with my insertion of a thought before I can read it,_] she tried to explain. [_And even then I can't read all of it, only the thoughts you are actively thinking about. Go ahead, think something._]

Voldemort seemed to contemplate before thinking _Mary had a little lamb…_

[_Whose fleece was white as snow,_] Audra finished.

Voldemort stopped and stared at the woman before Him. Audra sunk down against the headboard, her head down, bracing herself for punishment. A long, tense moment passed before He said, "Why are you now showing this to me? I want you to speak."

Audra's throat was still raw. She opened it, made a guttural noise, closed it, cleared her throat and tried again. "Master," she croaked, "I tried to do it last night… to beg for you to stop," her voice was barely above a whisper.

"It was two nights ago," Voldemort corrected. "You've been out for a day and a half now."

"I'm sorry, Master," she replied hoarsely. "I don't remember what happened… except I wanted to die." Unbeknown to Voldemort, tears began at the corner of her eyes and she hastily wiped them away.

"You almost did," Voldemort stated. "You began to bleed internally. It took some quick thinking on Snape's part to heal those wounds, but you had lost a lot of blood. You have been out cold since." Audra was silent, digesting the information. "Here, drink this," He said, offering a goblet full of a foul looking liquid. Audra eyed it suspiciously, but drank it anyway; it was a goblet of blood. The sweet liquid warmed her from the inside out, instantly improving her health and mood. The nectar of life, required for all living creatures. She drank it down gratefully, welcoming the primal hunger that ruled her animalist mind every moon. She lowered the goblet, her lips and teeth stained red, as if the sun lent its dying rays to her.

Voldemort accepted the goblet back, before asking "How do you feel?"

"Better."

"Can you move?"

Audra tried bending her legs; they felt stiff yet weak, the muscles were sore and the bones ached. She grit her teeth, and swung her legs over the side of the bed. She pulled the sheet with her, wrapping it around her before setting her bare feet on the cold floor. Cautiously, she put weight on her feet very slowly, waiting for her muscles to accept the stress. She took a deep breath and stood very shakily. She took a cautious step, and her legs crumbled; Voldemort reached out and caught her. He held her by the upper arms, helping her get her feet back underneath her. "You're still weak," He commented, supporting most her weight.

"Master, would it be alright if I walked on four legs tonight?" she asked tentatively. "I'm a tad bit stronger in wolf form." He thought about it, and then nodded. Still clutching the sheet, she morphed, so that a white wolf's nose poked out from the black satin. She was still unsteady on her feet, but the distribution of weight was better and easier to deal with. She sat on the ground, looking to her master for her instructions.

"You are not required to carry out your normal duties tonight," He stated. "You need rest. However, I do not want you to stay here in my room, nor do I want you to freeze in your cell. You will remain with me tonight, quiet and invisible wherever I am. Understood?" The wolf nodded. "Good. Come," He ordered, and she trotted behind Him out the room and to His study.

Once inside the study, she walked to the fire side, before curling up into a ball, resting her head on her paws. She watched as Voldemort sat behind His desk and began flipping through pieces of parchment. She closed her eyes and relaxed, enjoying the warmth of the fire on her fur and the gentle rustle of Voldemort working.

Time passed and Audra dozed beside the fire. There was a knock on the door, and Audra snapped her head up, completely alert. She sniffed the air, identified the scent, and laid her head back down. [_It's Lucius_] she informed Voldemort, without looking at Him.

He smiled, adjusting to this new form of communication. "Enter," He said, looking towards the door. Audra had correctly identified the man, and Malfoy strode in to the room, not even pausing to bow to Him. "My Lord," Malfoy addressed, before sitting in the chair opposite the desk.

"My friend Lucius," said Voldemort, "what bring you here tonight?"

"Mulciber has been arrested. Crouch sentenced him without trial." Voldemort cursed. "A couple of aurors cornered him earlier in the day," Malfoy explained. "What is _she_ doing here?" he sneered; for he had just taken notice of Audra, who had perked up at the news.

Without looking towards her Voldemort held His hand down from the chair, much the same as an owner does with their dog. Just like her domesticated cousin, Audra trotted over to the hand and nuzzled it, sliding it over her head until His fingers scratched right behind her ears. She sat placing her chin on His lap, and allowed Him to pet her. [_You should see the look on his face_] Audra heard inside her head; Voldemort had achieved in mind-flashing her as well.

[_You managed to mind-flash_] she replied, while sneaking a peak at the unreadable and yet loathing expression on the other man's face. [_You're a quick learner._]

"I think I like her more as a mutt," Malfoy said aloud, "she talks less; a wonderful attribute in a pet."

"A pet," Voldemort mused, moving His fingers to under her chin while still scratching. "And what shall I call you?" He questioned, looking down at her. He continued to scratch while He pondered. "The founders of Rome… Romolus and Remus… according to legend were raised by a wolf…"

"Accalia," Malfoy answered, recalling the myth.

"Accalia…" mused Voldemort; Audra smiled slightly, approving of any name other than mudblood. "Accalia it shall be," He stated.

There was a crash downstairs, as if someone had just caused something to fall over. Both men looked towards the door, already holding their wands. Audra barked, and was on the other side of the room opening the door. She managed the feat without thumbs in a matter of seconds, and took off down the stairs, flying over each step barely touching them. Ignoring her still healing body, she rebounded off of the wall at the bottom, and flew down the hall towards the source of the commotion.

At the end of the hall nearest the kitchen stood a person clad in all black. Tight long sleeves and pants accentuated the woman's curvy figures, and a face mask hid the delicate features. Crimson eyes with gold around the pupil were all that was exposed, and they flooded with relief upon seeing the wolf.

[_Gina! What are you doing here?_] Audra mind-flashed while growling, just in case Voldemort and Malfoy were behind her.

Gina kept her defensive stance, wand in one hand while the other held a throwing star. [_We got your message, and you've missed meetings_] Gina flashed back. [_We started to fear the worse_.]

[_Gina you can't be here,_] Audra pleaded.

[_That's Him?_] she asked, her eyes flickering to someone standing behind the wolf.

Audra snarled, barring her teeth; Gina kept up the act and threw a curse at her. Audra dodged, smashing her shoulder into the wall. [_Make it look believable,_] Audra instructed, narrowly avoiding the star that was launched at her. Audra ran and jumped, launching into the air, her lips pulled back and aiming to bite down hard. Gina countered, side stepping the beast while bringing up a dagger, just barely avoiding fatally wounding Audra. Audra rolled in mid-air, keeping the blade from touching her soft underside; instead it cut into her side. Audra hit the ground hard, her feet not willing to catch the falling weight. She heard the pop of Gina Disapperated, followed by noise as Voldemort scrambled to her side.

Seeing that she was already healing from the wound, He bent down next to her and scratched her on the head. "Good dog," He said, "good dog."


End file.
